Dear Editor,
The recent killings of 129 people in the French capital Paris has demonstrated once again that terrorism can strike at any time and at any place. This is the second terrorist attack in France following the killing of twelve staffers of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo including its editor, in addition to five others at a Jewish supermarket, mere months ago.
IS reportedly claimed responsibility for this recent terrorist attack which it said was done in retaliation for France’s military intervention against IS forces operating in Syria and Iraq.
The rise of IS which is seeking to establish an Islamic state in large swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq has become problematic to both the United States and its allies in the Middle East. Despite a heightened military presence IS continues to make significant inroads in several parts of Syria and Iraq with support from segments of the Muslim community.
This is why the defeat of IS is proving so difficult as the underlying issues have deep cultural roots which are to a large extent buttressed by a strong perception that the United States and for that matter the entire Western world is anti-Muslim. America’s support for Israel against Palestine has served to lend credence to such a perception which cannot be easily erased.
My fear is that the attacks could spread to other Western capitals which in turn could lead to a vicious cycle of attacks and counter-attacks with deadly consequences.
It is my conviction that there cannot be a military solution to a cultural and ideological problem. Instead, new and more enlightened and culturally sensitive approaches need to be employed which should be initiated by supra-national institutions such as the United Nations and the Commonwealth Secretariat.
Failure to tackle this festering problem through diplomatic and culturally sensitive means could only lead to rising tension, mounting suspicions and xenophobic tendencies, especially in European countries such as Germany, France, Britain and Belgium, which are home to millions of Muslims. A surge of migrants from Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq and Libya to Europe could only make matters worse.
Yours faithfully,
Hydar Ally
